Year 9 SciencePlant Growth

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • Describe how gas exchange occurs in plants.
  • Describe the adaptations of leaves and plant cells for photosynthesis.
  • Describe how water and mineral salts are absorbed and moved around a plant.
  • Describe how water is lost from a plant.
  • Describe the test for starch.
  • Describe how starch is used as a food storage material.
  • Recall that plants use glucose produced by photosynthesis to make new substances, often using mineral salts.
  • Explain the need for the different resources by a seed as it germinates.
  • Describe why plants are cross-bred.
  • Identify the desired outcome of cross-breeding.
  • Describe how increased human population growth affects food supply.
  • Describe how selective breeding is done.
  • Explain how attack of plants by pests and pathogens can have an impact on human populations.
  • Recall the main nutrients required by plants and identify signs that a plant may be lacking in nutrients (in general terms only).
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  • Explain how wilting occurs.
  • Explain how the features of leaves and plant cells are adaptations for photosynthesis.
  • Explain how roots and stems are adapted for their function.
  • Explain the importance of nitrates to plants.
  • Describe the synthesis of starch and proteins in plants (only in terms of the monomers involved).
  • Recall some functions of different proteins.
  • Explain how food production for humans can be increased using different plant varieties and pest management strategies (including insecticides and herbicides).
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  • Use a knowledge of diffusion to explain how different conditions cause different rates of transpiration.
  • Use the idea of equilibria to explain starch production.
  • Explain why phosphates and potassium are important nutrients for plants.

Year 9 ScienceGenetics and Evolution

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • State what chromosomes are made of.
  • State the number of pairs of chromosomes in most human cells.
  • Describe where genes are found.
  • Describe how genes control characteristics (in terms of containing instructions).
  • Describe the roles played by Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins in the discovery of the structure of DNA.
  • Explain how changes in a physical environmental factor in a habitat affect populations and communities.
  • Explain how changes in an ecosystem can lead to endangerment and extinction.
  • Suggest methods of conservation that can be used to ensure the survival of organisms and habitats.
  • Explain how particular adaptations increase the chances of survival.
  • Explain why preserving biodiversity is important.
  • State that the individuals in a population are likely to vary from one another genetically.
  • Explain how natural selection determines the survival of certain variations of adaptations within a population.
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  • Use a model to illustrate the relationship between DNA, chromosomes, genetic information and genes.
  • Explain how particular adaptations limit an organism’s distribution and abundance.
  • Make predictions about how changes in physical and biological factors will interact with adaptations and affect survival.
  • Explain how biodiversity can be preserved using gene banks, seed banks, tissue banks, cryopreservation and pollen banks.
  • Explain how natural selection can lead to evolution.
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  • Describe the structure of a DNA molecule.
  • Evaluate the evidence for suggested physical and behavioural adaptations of extinct species.
  • Explain how evidence from fossils supports Darwin’s theory.

Year 9 ScienceMaking Materials

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • Recall examples of common insulators and conductors.
  • Recall some examples of common ceramics (e.g. pottery, glass).
  • State the meaning of: ceramic.
  • Explain how the properties of ceramics make them useful.
  • Recall that crude oil is the primary source of raw materials for the plastics industry.
  • Recall what happens when monomers polymerise.
  • Recall the names of some common artificial and natural polymers.
  • Link the properties of common plastics to their uses.
  • Recall some examples of common composites (e.g. plywood, paper, concrete).
  • State the meaning of: composite.
  • Explain how the properties of composites make them useful.
  • Identify thermal decomposition reactions.
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  • Justify the use of a ceramic material for a given application.
  • Explain why crystal size depends on the speed of cooling.
  • Explain how the properties of a substance depend on the bonding and arrangement of atoms (in terms of strength and number of bonds only).
  • Classify changes as exothermic or endothermic from temperature changes.
  • Explain how the properties of a substance depend on the bonding and arrangement of atoms.
  • Justify the use of a composite material for a given application.
  • Classify (using temperature change) and explain (in terms of energy transfer) exothermic or endothermic reactions.
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  • Explain why modifications in a certain ceramic or glass manufacture can change its properties (e.g. lead crystal). (Involves consideration of type and arrangement of atoms.)
  • Model the formation of poly(ethene) using equations, symbols and particle diagrams.
  • Identify the monomer structures in a given polymer chain.
  • Explain why modifications in the manufacture of a certain composite (e.g. paper, concrete) can change its properties.

Year 9 ScienceReactivity

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • Describe the test for oxygen.
  • Describe the combustion of hydrocarbons (in terms of reactants and products).
  • Describe examples of energy being used to start a chemical reaction or keep it going.
  • State the meaning of displacement reaction.
  • Describe what happens when a given displacement reaction occurs.
  • Recall how metals are extracted from ores taken from the Earth’s crust.
  • Recall that the extraction of some metals is more difficult than others, depending on the metal’s reactivity.
  • Explain why some elements have been isolated for much longer than others.
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  • Apply knowledge of explosive reactions to explain why they occur more or less rapidly when the particle size or the oxidiser is changed.
  • Describe how some explosive mixtures obtain enough oxygen to explode.
  • Classify changes as exothermic or endothermic from temperature changes.
  • Explain why energy input may be needed to start some reactions or keep them going.
  • Explain why a displacement reaction may or may not occur.
  • Use evidence to decide whether a displacement reaction has or has not occurred.
  • Use results from displacement reactions to produce an order of reactivity.
  • Explain what happens in oxidation and reduction.
  • Describe how metals are extracted from their ores by heating with carbon and electrolysis.
  • Explain why the method used to extract a metal is related to its position in the reactivity series and cost of the extraction process.
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  • Describe bond breaking and making in terms of energy transfer.
  • Summarise energy changes by drawing simple energy level diagrams.
  • Write balanced equations for displacement reactions.
  • Describe the movement of ions in electrolysis.
  • Explain how oxidation and reduction happen during electrolysis.

Year 9 ScienceForce fields and electromagnets

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • Identify common symbols for components.
  • Recall how the current changes when the voltage of the supply changes.
  • Explain how switches can be used to control different parts of a parallel circuit.
  • Describe how changing the number or type of components in a circuit affects the current.
  • Describe how current and voltage behave in series and parallel circuits.
  • State what is meant by resistance and name its units.
  • Describe the relationship between resistance and current.
  • Describe how the resistance of a wire varies with length and thickness.
  • Use the formula relating voltage, current and resistance.
  • Describe the shape of the magnetic field around a wire carrying a current.
  • Describe an electromagnet and the shape of its magnetic field.
  • Describe how the strength of an electromagnet can be changed.
  • Explain how electromagnets are used in simple applications.
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  • Describe how voltage and energy are linked.
  • Describe a current as a flow of electrons.
  • Plan an investigation into how the resistance of a wire changes with length or thickness.
  • Interpret a voltage–current graph for resistors of different values.
  • Explain how changing the size or direction of the current affects the magnetic field.
  • Explain how electromagnets are used in relays.
  • Describe how a wire carrying a current must be oriented in a magnetic field to produce a force.
  • Describe how the motor effect is used in a simple electric motor and how the force it produces can be changed.
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  • Describe the relationship between watts and joules/second.
  • Use the formula relating power, current and voltage.
  • Describe how the resistance of a filament lamp changes with voltage.
  • Explain why the resistance of a filament lamp increases with increasing voltage.
  • Use Fleming’s left-hand rule and the right-hand grip rule.
  • Explain how the motor effect is used in unfamiliar devices.

Year 9 ScienceForces and Motion

Expected Attainment
Year Group / Grade / Emerging / Confident / Advanced / Mastery
  • Describe the meaning of speed and mean speed.
  • Explain how the distance travelled and the time taken affects the speed.
  • Use the formula relating speed, distance and time.
  • Represent simple journeys on a distance– time graph.
  • Describe changes of speed shown on a distance–time graph.
  • Explain what relative speed means.
  • Describe how a simple lever can magnify force or distance.
  • Identify the pivot, load and effort in Class 1 levers.
  • Explain how levers are used in common devices.
  • State what is meant by a moment of a force and recall its units.
  • Recall that an object will balance if the moments are equal and opposite.
  • Describe the factors that affect the size of a moment.
  • Describe how a ramp or a simple pulley system can reduce the force needed to lift an object.
  • Recall that if the force needed is decreased the distance it moves is increased.
  • Describe the relationship between work done and energy transferred.
  • Describe the factors that affect the total work done.
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  • Explain why the maximum speed on a journey is usually greater than the mean speed.
  • Calculate speeds from the gradient of a distance–time graph.
  • Calculate the relative speed between two objects moving along the same line.
  • Identify the pivot, load and effort in Class 2 and Class 3 levers.
  • Use the formula relating moment, force and perpendicular distance.
  • Use the formula relating work, force and distance moved.
  • Use ideas about conservation of energy when explaining how simple machines work.
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  • Work out the direction of relative motion for objects not moving along the same line.
  • Describe how gears affect the force needed to move an object and the speed of movement.
  • Explain how gears work using ideas about moments.
  • Work out the mechanical advantage of simple machines.
  • Explain why the actual mechanical advantage may not be the same as the theoretical value.
  • Use the idea that a force can be represented by two orthogonal forces.